TINA'S THOUGHTS ~

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2010

The Power Facial - Part Two

When asked by Style about the premise for power facials and move away from face-freezing, celebrity facialist Nichola Joss advised “If you want a toned, defined body, you work out; the same goes for the face. If you are a Botox user, your muscles are not getting the chance to be worked. By stimulating and massaging them, I can lift and contour the face, giving better definition.” She later added that she has tried Botox herself in the past and although the results left her skin smooth they also made it “expressionless and a little dull” and that more women seem to be realising that its skin sagging that bothers us most in comparison to a few wrinkles.

Skincare therapist Amanda Lacey who appears to agree told Style “Botox stops the lines, but it doesn’t help the appearance of the skin. Facial manipulation redefines, softens and relaxes the face, so it looks as it should.”

In my workshops I teach clients that it’s facial sagging and droop and the associated changes in face shape that ages you more than lines and wrinkles. And working out the face - massaging and stimulating the deep muscles as well as the skin - not only provides and maintains youthful contours, it also by default leads to healthier skin cells. When skin cells have more vitality the skin is more resistant to wrinkling.

There is misplaced belief that the face should not be stretched, pulled, manipulated or exercised as this will over stretch the skin leading to wrinkles. This could not be further from the truth. The skin although delicate in areas is also very strong; remember it is a living organ and loves the latter treatment responding with appreciation. 

Facialist Nuz Shugaa who has a central London clinic also frequently conducts power facials on her clients prior to red carpet events to ensure their skin is peppy, firm and glowing for paparazzi line ups. She has recently used the Tua Tre’nd on her A-list clients who include Rachel Weisz, Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise.

Professionally-speaking I think it would be more accurate to say there is a renewed interest in the ‘power facial’, rather than “a rise”, which Edwina Ings-Chambers suggests in her feature, because many facialists - me included - have been doing ‘power’ facial work for years. For me, and I believe also for Nichola Joss and Nuz Shugaa, the power facial is now about incorporating beauty tools like Tua Tre’nd into one's repertoire because they are so effective at stimulating, massaging and exercising the face and can also be used by clients at home to continue and maintain results. 

Connect with me on Twitter twitter.com/TinaRichardsLtd and Facebook facebook.com/TinaRichards for anti-ageing tips, updates and news.

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2010

The Power Facial - Part One

The other weekend I read an article in the Sunday Times Style magazine titled “The Power Facial”. The article purported that London facialists are now incorporating deep facial massage and facial manipulation techniques to exercise and tone clients’ faces and that these power facials are being heralded as “an alternative to Botox.”

Edwina Ings-Chambers who wrote the Style piece reminds us that “Botox has lost celebrity fans of late, what with the Minogue sisters and Courteney Cox saying they’ve moved on, and even Cindy Crawford admitting that it “scares her”’. It appears celebs are indeed moving on to the natural yet potent benefits of power facial treatments.

What is a power facial exactly? Well it refers to any facial treatment where the facial skin and underlying structural facial muscles are massaged, stimulated, manipulated and ‘worked out’ to tone, firm and temporarily lift the face to create a noticeable (albeit subtle and natural) tauter and contoured look. Your skin also typically glows and is plumped up afterward due to boosted microcirculation. The power facial can be conducted with the use of hands (your own or your therapist’s) or with specific electronic muscle stimulation devices.

Beauty therapist Georgia Hewitson told Style magazine that “a good massage [alone] brings the face back to life and, if done regularly, it will exercise and tone the muscles.” 

Like most things anti-ageing, noticeable long lasting results do require commitment. And it’s worth it because regular and consistent power facials culminate in a deep effect on facial muscles and the surrounding soft tissues; facial muscles are toned and the skin’s collagen and elastin production are increased, the soft tissues of the face are effectively plumped up. It is my opinion that you cannot tone facial muscles without having a ‘beefing up’ effect on the surrounding tissues. This happens by default; remember however that these results come from consistent regular treatment.

The Style article focuses on hands-on massage and manipulation techniques however I can report that one of the featured facialists, Nichola Joss, also used Tua Viso on clients including Cate Blanchett, Elle Macpherson and Keira Knightley.

       

Nichola told Hello! that Tua Viso “is one tool I will never get rid of as it’s worth its weight in gold. I used this micro current-delivering device on all the stars in the run-up to this year’s Oscars. You can literally see the muscles lift and tighten.” I can report that Nichola Joss is now also a fan of the newer generation Tua Tre’nd and is incorporating the device into her power facials and red carpet preps. 

Read the Hello! magazine article on Nichola Joss

Part two next week...

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SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010

Celebrity Thank you's!

We met up with Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise at the London Premiere of Knight and Day last week and gave them a Tua Tre'nd each, both kindly penned thank you’s. This week we were lucky enough to bump into Jessica Biel at the London Premiere of The A Team who we gave a Tua Trend to trial, she also wrote a nice thank you note! 

We were also honoured to meet up this week with Kany King MBE, Founder and CEO of MOBO who's become a fan of Tua Tre'nd and penned us an amazing thank you testimonial.  Recently we have also received the nicest thank you's  from both Sally Hawkins (Golden Globe Best Actress for Happy-Go-Lucky), and Kimberly Wyatt of the 'Pussycat Dolls'.

Take a peek at all our celebrity thank you notes... click here.

          
Join me on Twitter twitter.com/TinaRichardsLtd and Facebook facebook.com/TinaRichards for anti-ageing tips, updates and news. Tina x

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FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2010

Electronic microcurrent technology is a growing trend in the US inspiring new bioelectrical anti-ageing creams

Microcurrent professional treatments (electrostimulation or ‘electro-stim’ to those in the know) have been popular in European salons and spas for a number of years to increase facial muscle tone and stimulate collagen and elastin for a more youthful and lifted look.

Now it appears that our microcurrent technology is catching on in the US. Top New York facialist, Tracie Martyn, now includes electronic muscle stimulation in her $460 facials; among the priciest in the city. Her clients include Madonna, Susan Sarandon and Linda Evangelista. 
 
  Actress and recording artist Vanessa Williams,
  originally from New York State, has been
  quoted as saying “I am a huge fan of  the
  Goddess Repair Shop [a day spa in California
  and New York.]  They offer microcurrent
  treatments that increase your collagen, elastin,
  and muscle tone.  Microcurrent treatments have
  been popular in Europe for years, and the
  results are remarkable.”

In the UK Tua Viso and Tua Tre’nd have brought us professional grade microcurrent technology we can use at home for similar firming and youtherising results.

Not only are US salons and spas now beginning to adopt electronic microcurrent into their treatment menus but also Roc (Johnson & Johnson) and Neutrogena have earlier this year launched new formulations inspired by professional electro-stim treatments.

New RoC® BRILLIANCE™ Day Rejuvenating Moisturizer, RoC® BRILLIANCE™ Night Recharging Moisturizer and Roc Brilliance Eye Beautifier all contain E-PULSE™ a patented microcurrent technology inspired by professional grade electro-stimulation procedures. Tiny microcurrents (that you are unaware of) are produced when the activating serum is mixed with the Beautifying crème and applied to the skin. Johnson & Johnson claim E-PULSE will “bring new life to the look of your skin.”

Neutrogena have recently launched a new sub-brand called ‘Neutrogena ClinicalTM Skin Care’ which incorporates their new patented ion2complex™. In all the day, night and eye versions, an ion2complex™ serum combines with an activating cream to create a gentle microcurrent in the top layers of the skin. Neutrogena claims it “reawakens collagen depleted skin.”

We naturally have electricity in our bodies and this electricity allows our cells to communicate with each other but our natural currents drop with age. In theory the new ‘bioelectricity’ creams stimulate skin cells to act younger in a similar way to professional grade electronic microcurrent machines. However in my professional opinion the microcurrents generated by these creams are a ‘watered down’ version of the professional grade machines. With regular treatment the latter boosts cell-to-cell communication resulting in skin cells that behave younger: healing, repair, collagen production and cell turnover are increased and inflammation reduced. And the machines have the capability of also improving facial muscle tone; altogether a powerful anti-ageing effect.

We know electronic microcurrent stimulation works, it’s been around since the late 19th century although has advanced enormously. Electronic microcurrent stimulation has been used in medicine for wound healing, physiotherapy rehabilitation and even orthopedics and bone growth. Patches are applied to the skin and electric currents run through them.

The above is a press release whch I wrote following a trip to New York City; it was incorporated into this week's Daily Mail article Buzz off, wrinkles...read article here

Join me on Twitter twitter.com/TinaRichardsLtd and Facebook facebook.com/TinaRichards for anti-ageing tips, updates and news. Tina x

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FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2010

Be Beautiful

Award-winning beauty journalist Alice Hart-Davis, who I have had the pleasure to meet on a couple of occasions, has written a beauty guide for teenage girls with her teenage daughter Molly called “Be Beautiful – Every Girl’s Guide To Hair Skin & Make-Up”. I adore this book! It is comprehensive, brightly coloured, loaded with images (including photos of Molly and other real girls). It’s fun and informative. The book covers facial care, spots, hair, make-up, body care, nutrition and how to host a pamper party amongst other things and what I love is that all the information is in bite sized very easy-to-read chunks, often in an FAQ and answer format. It is also loaded with expert tips.

Alice Hart-Davis writes for many publications including the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Evening Standard; she is one of the most thorough and informed beauty journalists I know.  It is Alice and Molly’s wish that this guide help teenagers feel good about themselves which of course I support. Any teenage girl will love this book and love you for giving it to them. I actually think many girls of all different ages will enjoy too.

    Alice Hart-Davis & Molly Hindhaugh

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FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2010

A Healthy diet can transform skin colour in as little as a month

A recent study, featured in The Sunday Times on May 23rd, proves that “a healthy diet can transform skin colour in as little as a month.”

Subjects in this study conducted by Bristol University were encouraged to eat a diet containing five portions of fruits and vegetables per day for a month. Before and after photos of the subjects were then studied by volunteers who were asked to evaluate and compare the subjects’ skin tones from the photographs.

Those subjects who had consumed a high intake of carotenoids from their five-a-day were deemed to have a more attractive glowing skin tone, according to the volunteers studying the photos, compared to those who had had a low intake of carotenoids. Moreover ( and this is the really interesting part), those subjects who had a high intake of carotenoids from their five-a-day were also deemed to have a more attractive skin tone compared to those who had a suntanned face. According to the Times article “the volunteers consistently rejected the suntanned look, in favour of a complexion that matched the tones achieved with an optimum diet.”

Carotenoids are natural plant pigments found in fruits and vegetables that are typically either red, orange or a rich ‘leafy green’ in colour. They are also antioxidant in nature. Some fruits and vegetables have a higher carotenoid content than others, especially a carotenoid called betacarotene, and these include: Cantaloupe melon (that has orange flesh), sweet romaine lettuce, orange squash (the vegetable), carrots, curly kale, spinach and red or orange peppers.

Ian Stephen, who was the experimental psychologist who headed the Bristol study, told The Sunday Times “There are two pigments which have a major effect on yellowness of fair skin: melanin, which is associated with sun exposure, and carotenoids from the diet."

“We found people always preferred the golden effect from diet to the darker effect from the sun. All our results were consistent with carotenoids being the decisive element.”

The carotenoid betacarotene is known to help to protect the skin and body from oxidative stress from free radicals, and when present in the skin through adequate dietary intake, can help to protect the skin from the sun (secondary to shade, covering-up and wearing sunscreen of course).

Lycopene is another carotenoid and antioxidant that is found in high levels in tomatoes. Studies have also shown that a tablespoon per day of concentrated tomato paste (concentrated lycopene) can deposit lycopene in the skin and help to protect the skin from the sun. On ‘The Truth about Beauty’ program you may recall I disclosed to a rather bemused Martine McCutcheon that to ensure I get my daily dose of lycopene I like to eat a spoonful of concentrated tomato paste on a cracker. I hope she read the Times article. Watch the full interview with Martine McCutcheon here.

I think the recent research findings are very exciting. It shows the positive and quick effects that carotenoids can have on skin tone. It proves what we already know: That your skin and appearance really can be dramatically affected by what you eat. Also if your skin is positively affected, which you can appreciate on the outside, this means every cell in your body is also benefiting, from the inside since your skin is usually last to receive (your organs are first).

Focus on beautifying your skin on the outside through what you eat and you will also automatically optimise the health of all your cells throughout your entire body.

You can read the entire Sunday Times article titled “Fruity glow is better than a tan” here.

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 2010

High quality protein from a vegan or vegetarian diet to support a youthful face

Hi Catherine , Leigh and all who contacted the office re how to get sufficient high quality protein from a vegan or vegetarian diet... thank you so much for getting in touch with your questions. Here is a blog for all you veggies, which also tells everyone a bit more about high quality protein and amino acids. Kirsty (one of our team) advises that it helps to read through a couple of times as it is a bit ‘sciencey’:

So here we go...
There are about twenty amino acids which the body uses to make various proteins. Eight of these amino acids are called ‘essential amino acids’ because they cannot be made by the human body; they can only be supplied through the diet. The body can synthesise all the other amino acids.

The eight essential amino acids for humans are: leucine, isoleucine, valine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and lysine. [Histidine is also considered to be an essential amino acid for children].

Now, high quality proteins are those dietary proteins containing all the essential amino acids in the optimum proportions required by the body. Protein that we eat (called ‘dietary protein’) is broken down during digestion into its constituent amino acids which are then absorbed by the body and used to make new proteins (eg enzymes, collagen, muscle proteins) for all the body’s biological processes including growth and repair. If the dietary protein is low in one or more of the essential amino acids then that dietary protein source is said to be of a lower quality.

Egg protein is considered to have the ideal essential amino acid pattern required for humans and is usually the ‘gold standard’ against which dietary protein quality is defined. Animal proteins, including poultry and natural yogurt, tend to be of a higher protein quality than plant proteins which are sometimes referred to as ‘low quality proteins’ because they contain a lower quality pattern of essential amino acids. You see many plant proteins are low in one of the essential amino acids.

However, although pulses tend to be short on methionine and grains short on lysine, for example, this does not mean that vegetarians or vegans cannot receive adequate amounts of essential amino acids in their diet. Combining plant proteins throughout the day, such as by including grains and pulses in the same day’s menu, leads to a summated high quality protein which can be just as good, if not sometimes better, as animal sourced protein.

Soya, on its own, is a high quality protein which can be considered equivalent to chicken or turkey protein. Soya is however high in phytoestrogens so I recommend that you do not consume in excessive amounts but include soya as part of your varied plant-based diet. Soya in moderation may have health benefits.

So it can actually be easy for you as a vegan or vegetarian to consume all the amino acids you need for youthful glowing skin and supported facial muscle mass so long as you make the following a habit:

1. Eat a variety of plant foods on a daily basis
2. Consume enough of these nutrient-dense plant foods per day
3. Avoid refined junk/processed foods which displace nutrients from your diet including amino acids, because junk foods tend to be nutrient-empty (so they tend to be essential-amino-acid-empty) and also tend to be high in calories (... as well as ageing... but that’s another message).

... When you are planning what to eat every day remember these three key points: nutrient-dense plant foods, variety and enough.

While you are physically active, focus on eating about 6 ounces of protein sources a day, for example: oatmeal for breakfast with one ounce of walnuts; one cup of beans or two ounces of tofu or tempeh for lunch together with big salad tossed in olive oil and lemon juice; one ounce of nuts or a cup of grains (eg brown basmati rice, millet, quinoa) and half a cup of beans included with dinner; two small daily snacks consisting of a little portion of grains/pulses, a teaspoon of nuts or seeds and a little fresh fruit eg half an apple or a few berries.

It is not necessary to actually eat "complementary" proteins at the same meal (as was once thought) in order for your body to process them correctly, so you can forget about protein complementation. The body stores amino acids on a short-term basis, so as long as different sources of protein are provided throughout the course of the day via a varied plant-based diet, you will be covered. So vegetarians and vegans eating a well-balanced diet based on grains, pulses, seeds, nuts and vegetables will be consuming a mixture of proteins that complement one another naturally without requiring any planning.

Lacto-ovo vegetarians please include natural yogurt and eggs (particularly egg whites) in your daily menu. Lacto-vegetarians please include natural yogurt and ovo-veggies please include eggs.

POSTED AT 5:39PM | 0 COMMENTS, CLICK TO ADD YOURS

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2010

Seats in the sun at Wimbledon... oh my!

I was fortunate enough to have been given two Wimbledon tickets this year for the first Friday, debenture seats at centre court no less. However I was advised that the two seats were low down, which meant they were beyond the shelter of the roof perimeter (if seated higher up you are always in the shade). This meant with the hot weather that we have been having in London the seats would be ... IN THE SUN!

You probably know me enough by now to appreciate the conundrum I was now in. Go to Wimbledon and enjoy some wonderful tennis with my husband Richard, partaking in the amazing atmosphere of centre court, or, not go and dodge sitting directly in the blazing sun for an entire afternoon which can significantly frazzle and impart damage to one’s skin, particularly a fair-skinned 'English Rose' type like mine.  I reasoned we could just go for lunch and enjoy the debenture lounge?  But centre court tickets. And a great view of the players!

I decided to incorporate a strategy of risk-limitation that would mitigate the UV rays as much as possible so I could relax and enjoy the experience of being at Wimbledon in the sun. So on the Friday morning I slathered Ultrasun SPF50 on my face and body. Now I don’t normally wear chemical sunscreens as habit unless there is a necessity since I believe that if worn every day the chemicals can be absorbed into your system and that this is not a good thing to have happen on a regular basis. I prefer to use physical sunscreens which contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and are paraben-free. I incidentally avoid powdered sunscreens based on titanium dioxide, as I do facial powders containing talc, as these can be inhaled and may be carcinogenic to your lungs.

After my 'emergency-only' application of Ultrasun had absorbed which took about 30 minutes, and I ensured Richard had also loaded up on it, since he has that celtic-type pinky skin that’s sure to burn, I applied my physical sunscreen to my face and neck over the top – the one I use every day (I promise to disclose in a near future message). After five minutes I applied my make-up.

I took two hats with me to Wimbledon and wore them at the same time whilst in our seats in the sun. I really did. I have one great hat this has about a 4” brim; it has a cotton breathable fabric with UPF 50 (SPF 30). I wore this with a larger brimmed straw sun hat over the top to give my shoulders some shade and boost the effectiveness of my first hat. I wore the pretty straw one by itself when walking around the grounds where it was more shady. You could hardly see the first hat anyway underneath the second hat when we were seated and who cares anyway (well I guess I might if the cameraman put me on national TV). Richard is used to this kind of behaviour from me so he didn’t even comment about my head attire. Wise man.

I also took a tightly woven cotton linen shirt with me which I wore over my sundress when seated out in the sun to cover and protect my décolleté, shoulders and arms. I also took a Spanish style fan to fan my face and neck and this together with drinking iced water really helped to keep me cool in the heat. It was absolutely boiling. The attractive American gentleman sitting to my right thanked me for the wafts of cool air that I kept fanning over him. He was most appreciative. Tee hee.

I, of course, also wore large dark sunglasses and I protected my lips with my physical sunscreen, which I wore as a base beneath my lipstick. I took the sunscreens with me in my bag for topping up and also a scarf to put over my legs should the sun get intense on that part of me. The lady sitting to the right of the American gentleman was very interested and impressed at my covering- up every inch and at my equipment. She had attended Wimbledon all week long and by Friday was feeling over-cooked. “I’m wearing two hats” I told her. Should the heat wave continue she is going to pass on my strategy to her fair-skinned granddaughter who is borrowing her seat at Wimbledon for a day next week.

I usually treat myself to a glass of champagne at Wimbers but as we were in the heat of it this year I stuck to water. [However later I did enjoy a lovely glass of pinot noir with dinner, packed with the anti oxidant, resveratrol]. One lady sitting in front of me, in a bare-shouldered sundress, no hat, did not have the same conversation with herself regarding alcohol and while she drank copious amounts of Pimms, became pinker and sillier during play... “LLEYTON!!! GO BOY... GO... GO... WOOEEE!!!” She was allowed back in to centre court later to watch the Federer match, much subdued I noticed, no doubt already nursing a hangover which unlike her poor skin she will quickly recover from.

My diet also, as you probably know, includes a daily intake of anti oxidants and carotenoids which also help to protect your skin from the sun from within. I also take various supplements which I believe help to boost your skin’s natural abilities to protect itself. However the order of play (please excuse... ) for sun protection is as follows: Seeking shade>Covering-up including broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses>Sunscreen>Diet>Supplements.

Richard and I had a lovely memorable day and a huge thank you to my lovely Uncle for the tickets x

POSTED AT 9:46AM | 0 COMMENTS, CLICK TO ADD YOURS

TUESDAY, JUNE 22, 2010

Inadequate high quality protein ages your skin and contributes to sagging and a gaunt tired look

Did you eat any protein at breakfast today? (Did you eat breakfast at all?) Was it ‘high quality protein’? No? Not sure? You may be spending considerable amounts of money on “anti-ageing” creams and treatments and yet starving your skin cells and your facial muscles of the essential amino acids they need to sustain a vital and youthful appearance. Inadequate high quality protein ages your skin and contributes to a sagging and a gaunt tired look.

You see what you eat, and how often, are connected to your facial appearance and how you age. Women particularly do not consume sufficient amounts of high quality protein each day, throughout the day, to support youthful facial muscle mass and the optimum vitality of their skin cells. In short every day they (and perhaps you) are ageing prematurely.  You really are what you eat.

So what is “high quality protein?” High quality protein includes fish, chicken, turkey, egg whites and natural yogurt because these protein sources are rich in essential amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Simply put a protein is just various amino acids linked together in a chain. Proteins are vital for the youthful appearance of your skin; many processes that go inside skin cells, including repair, depend on proteins. Collagen and elastin production also depend on proteins. 

Protein also affects the condition of your muscles including your facial muscles and so too affects the volume and shape of your face. We lose facial fat as it is as we age so the last thing we want is also to lose volume from reduced facial muscles, (which was not so obvious when we were younger). When you eat insufficient high quality protein, your muscle protein starts to break down in order to supply the body with amino acids because you are not getting enough through your diet.

Inadequate quality protein also leads to reduced cellular vitality and consequently accelerated ageing skin.

Make it a part of your anti-ageing repertoire to eat 6 to 10 ounces of high quality protein per day spread throughout the day. High quality protein should be included at breakfast (try an egg white heavy omelette, turkey rashers or wild Alaskan salmon steak), lunch, dinner and a mid-afternoon and bedtime snack.

Other important dietary strategies for youthful looks include low GI anti-inflammatory carbohydrates, anti oxidants and essential fatty acids which we’ll talk about in a later message.

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